Display unit and displaying method for enhancing display image quality

• US 9,071,800 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikawa, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pappas, Claire X
• Assistant Examiner(s): STONE, ROBERT M
• Application Number:
  US13/429,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20120249617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2290/00 Indexing scheme relating to details of a display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/06 Adjustment of display parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2018 by time modulation using two or more time intervals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light

Abstract

A display unit includes: a liquid crystal display section displaying a series of original frame images and a series of interpolated frame images in a time-divisional manner, the interpolated frame images being generated based on the original frame images; a backlight emitting light intermittently; and a backlight control section controlling a first light-emission amount and a second light-emission amount of the backlight independently of each other, the first light-emission amount being an amount during a first period corresponding to a period for displaying the original frame images, and the second light-emission amount being an amount during a second period corresponding to a period for displaying the interpolated frame images.

Claims

1. A display unit, comprising:

a liquid crystal display section displaying a series of original frame images and a series of interpolated frame images in a time-divisional manner, the interpolated frame images being generated based on the original frame images;

a backlight emitting light intermittently;

a backlight control section controlling a first light-emission amount and a second light-emission amount of the backlight independently of each other, the first light-emission amount being an amount during a first period corresponding to a period for displaying the original frame images, and the second light-emission amount being an amount during a second period corresponding to a period for displaying the interpolated frame images; and

a computing section determining, based on each of the original frame images, an amount of display light to be projected from a display surface of the liquid crystal display section in response to display of the original frame images on the liquid crystal display section,

wherein the backlight control section controls the first light-emission amount and the second light-emission amount based on the amount of display light obtained by the computing section, and

wherein the backlight control section decreases the first light-emission amount and increases the second light-emission amount when the amount of display light is increased, and increases the first light-emission amount and decreases the second light-emission amount when the amount of display light is decreased.

2. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control section allows the first light-emission amount and the second light-emission amount to be varied gradually over a plurality of frame cycle periods.

3. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control section controls a sum of the first light emission amount and the second light-emission amount to be maintained constant.

4. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the first light-emission amount is equal to, or greater than the second light-emission amount.

5. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control section controls the first light-emission amount and the second light-emission amount based on a luminance magnitude of the backlight.

6. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control section controls the first light-emission amount and the second light-emission amount based on a length of the first period and a length of the second period, respectively.

7. The display unit according to claim 1, further comprising a background-light sensor section detecting an amount of background-light around the display unit,

wherein the backlight control section controls the first light-emission amount and the second light-emission amount based on the amount of background-light obtained by the background-light sensor section.

8. The display unit according to claim 7, wherein the backlight control section increases the first light-emission amount and decreases the second light-emission amount when the amount of background-light is increased, and decreases the first light-emission amount and increases the second light emission amount when the amount of background-light is decreased.

9. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein

the backlight has a plurality of light-emitting subsections, and

the backlight control section controls the first light emission amount and the second light-emission amount independently of each other, for each of the light-emitting subsections.

10. The display unit according to claim 1, further comprising an interpolated image generating section generating the series of interpolated frame images based on the series of original frame images.

11. A display unit, comprising:

a display section displaying a series of original frame images and a series of interpolated frame images in a time divisional manner, the interpolated frame images being generated based on the original frame images;

a backlight emitting light intermittently;

a display control section controlling a light-emission amount of the backlight during a period for displaying the original frame images to be a first total light-emission amount, and controlling a light-emission amount, and controlling of the backlight during a period for displaying the interpolated frame images to be a second total light emission amount, the first total light-emission amount being defined as a sum of a first basic light-emission amount corresponding to image information of the original frame images and a first offset light-emission amount, the second total light-emission amount being defined as a sum of a second basic light-emission amount corresponding to image information of the interpolated frame images and a second offset light-emission amount; and

a computing section determining, based on each of the original frame images, an amount of display light to be projected from a display surface of the display section in response to display of the original frame images on the display section,

wherein the display control section controls the first offset light-emission amount and the second offset light-emission amount independently of each other and based on the amount of display light obtained by the computing section, and

wherein the display control section decreases the first offset light-emission amount and increases the second offset light-emission amount when the amount of display light is increased, and increases the first offset light-emission amount and decreases the second offset light-emission amount when the amount of display light is decreased.

12. A method of displaying, comprising:

displaying, on a liquid crystal display section, a series of original frame images and a series of interpolated frame images in a time-divisional manner, the interpolated frame images being generated based on the original frame images;

allowing a backlight to emit light intermittently, the allowing the backlight to emit the light intermittently including controlling a first light-emission amount and a second light-emission amount of a backlight independently of each other, the first light-emission amount being an amount during a first period corresponding to a period for displaying the original frame images, and the second light-emission amount being an amount during a second period corresponding to a period for displaying the interpolated frame images; and

increasing the first light-emission amount and decreasing the second light-emission amount when an amount of background-light around the liquid crystal display section is increased, and decreasing the first light-emission amount and increasing the second light-emission amount when the amount of background-light is decreased.